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After a few hours sleep, we are back one again to report on the strange goings on at the greatest festival in the world. First stop today is the Outdoor Theatre for The Shout Out Louds. For those that do not know, The Shout Out Louds are the modest rock-pop band from Sweden who wouldnt say boo to a goose. Even if the the goose asked them to in a pefect Stokholm accent. "We are just shy people from Sweden" they announce as they walk on stage, but they have no need to be shy, as they have the music to back up the fact they are on such a magnicificent stage. It does make you wonder how on earth they made the journey from a band that can barely fill the Dublin Castle six months ago, to suddenly wowing a very large group of Americans at the Coachella festival! They either have the most convincing PR company of all time, or they just turned up on the day and hijacked the stage. Either way, its a joy to see them in this environment as "Howl Howl Gaff Gaff" is one of the most underrated, and underlistened album of recent years. There are at least five pop gems waiting to be discovered by humanity today, including personal favourite 'Please Please Please' and the oh-so catchy 'The Comeback'. The Shout Out Louds have one other thing in their favour; how about having the most beautiful keyboard player since... since... ever! Typical blonde Swedish girl, pouting while gently fingering the keys, producing hooks the Candyman would be proud of. The second a slice of pop-perfection finishes, the very impressed audience repay their new heroes with applause usually reserved for the headline band. This band do not deserve to go back to playing small venues in camden, but when they do, take our advice: Book early to avoid bitter disappointment. Pop will Prevail.
The World doesn't need two Scissor Sisters. It doesn't even need one Scissor Sisters, but in Gram Rabbit, we have a contender. Dirty synths, commercial-sounding funk and a highly paid marketing team turn Gram Rabbit into a monster of a band. One girl, surrounded by ugly guys (the comparison stands up) screeching their way through dire, dire songs probably meant to make you dance. Allegedly. Dressed all in white, they paint a pretty picture up on the Coachella stage, but it all seems a bit too fake. A member of their street team / entourage hands out white rabbit ears to everyone to wear during Gram Rabbits set. This is to make it look they have thousands of fans in photos and videos of the event. Kasabian do a similar thing of handing out flags bearing their logo to unsuspecting music fans. Its all they can do to set them on fire before any of their friends see them. Gram Rabbit seem to be semi-popular over in the States right now though so its only a matter of time before CD:UK will herald their arrival on these shores. Moving to Denmark to stalk Sharin Foo does not seem such a bad idea anymore.
Ever heard of Autolux? Yes? You are lying but thats okay, the uninterrupted sunshine makes up for that fact. Two words. Sonic and Youth. Watch the cool kids in the Mojave tent literally holding their breath en masse so they can all fit in the shade and marvel at their ability to dance in such a confined space. Gun-to-the-head generalisations would provoke an unsteady hand towards the Shoegazing pigeonhole, but that may be a little too quick. Autolux are obviously deperate to be famous, and in order to do this they need to be commercial, so all indie-credibility is pushed aside as misplaced choruses jostle beside moody minor chord verses. A pleasant way to spend thirty minutes, but a very unmemorable one. They would probably impress more in the Barfly supporting 'I Like Trains' or 'Duels' or one of those other bands that write songs that no one really cares about.
Sorry Kasabian, your review space has been sacrificed for a fresh face. Apologies to SonyBMG, but maybe its for the best as you will get to learn something new. M.I.A. is the Sri-Lankan starlet, hell-bent on making songs you could die dancing to. Did us Brits miss something? M.I.A. lives in the UK (probably not anymore) yet the Americans claim her as their own as they reflect each and every polysyllabic word back to the female MC in frenzied body movements and hand/air slices. She's a sexy little thing M.I.A. with hair blowing in the wind, and sultry hip-shakes punctuating the nu-reggae beat. Actually its difficult to know where exactly her music influences are applied. This afternoon, her DJ (the brains behind the act) throws unexpected samples against her more well known songs, changing tempo and mise-en-scene mid sentence. Middle-Class American White boys with back packs empathising with a girl so far away from their world, she might as well be from Venus. It would explain alot if she was from another planet as she has a sound so fresh and new, its positively interplanetary. Is there a stronger word than love? If so apply it to M.I.A. right now and tattoo her name on your soul. Over and out.
Quick! The Futureheads are on the Coachella Stage! Phew its not that full due to the fact the majority of people are watching The Bravery who are on another stage. Suckers. The 'Heads dont care where they are. They play the same set regardless of Country, Colour or Creed, and what a blinding set it is. Interband bickering, audience participation (during 'Hounds Of Love') and Ross gone bonkers. What more can the ticket-paying public ask for? Yes, Ross must have had a few Red Bulls before he came out onstage today as he is visibly hyper and there is nothing better than the sight of a passionate guy in spectacles. Except Sharin Foo of course. Putting Sharin aside, The Futureheads seem to be having the time of their lives as they rattle through crowd pleasers 'A to B' and 'Meantime' and as 'Robot' begins, so does the moshing.
"This is the first time we have ever played the main stage of a festival" they coo to the baying crowd. From tonights ample performance it certainly wont be their last, though four English guys from up North in the desert sun may have something to say about that.
Once again The Outdoor Theatre stage plays host to a very hotly tipped rising band. In the last couple of months certain British music press have knelt down before the altar of The Arcade Fire and thanked them for bringing beautiful melancholy to the world. That must be nice. At least six months prior to that, those who choose to do our own music investigation (internet/word of mouth/general knowledge) have been blessed with TAF and the wonderment which is 'Funeral' have made it the soundtrack to our every day lives. This band is total complete justification to throw down all music rags and just listen to what people say on messageboards and fanzines around the world. 'Neighborhood #1' through to 'Neighborhood #4' and beyond, there is not a bad song on the record. While listening to it in the comfort in your bedroom, nobody would begrudge you the thought, nay doubt that they could reproduce the ambience in a live setting. Lets clear things up right now. They can and more. Visually they may remind you of Dexy's Midnight Runners with the madcap adventures onstage, including band members hanging off scaffolding probably not meant for the weight of two men at the same time, and just the general air of a travelling troupe. Gypsies you cry? Nope, as the only pegs on view were the ones holding the speakers in direct line with the top of the mountains in the distance. 'Crown of Love' pushes the crowd from admiration into the realms of ecstacy. Disco beats in the scorching heat, culminating in the sun setting at exactly the same time as the last chords ring across the unpolluted air. Honestly, it was that eventful. In the end who are we to try and rview something that can not be put into words. The Arcade Fire are the personifications of the feeling you get when your unrequited love realises their mistake and sends you a text message ending with an X.
Everybody loves New Order. Those who do not are currently spending their time watching the Dresden Dolls mope their way through Liza Minelli B-Sides covered in the remains of a make-up truck accident. The kids want the hits, but New Order want you to earn the right to hear their seminal tunes. So we are given the pleasure of the bands output from the last few years, concentrating on 'Waiting For The Siren's Call', which is any conneseur knows is a massive return to form. The title song and 'Krafty' go down really well, even though the weather has taken an unexpected turn for the worse. Even though a chilly breeze wakes us up from the 2 day dream we have all had, we are instantly brought back into headspace with 'Bizarre Love Triangle' creating the biggest audience response of the day. Everybody seems to know the words; the people who work behind the food stalls come out from behind their alluminium prisons to have a sly sing and dance and who can blame them? It sounds as good now as it ever has. I think it was Hooky who said that New Order and Joy Division are the same band, and techically he is correct, but obviously there is something major missing. Instead of the guttural epicness of the original 'Love Will Tear Us Apart', New Orders version is far more... danceable? Is that even a word? Nevertheless, its the best cover of it anyone in the world could ever do and thats good enough for most people. New Order's revival is apparent as new songs sit easily beside indie-disco stalwarts and who knows, maybe one day these boys will get on TOTP...
The British band invasion of Coachella continues with our nautical buddies British Sea Power. Quite what they are doing so far up the bill, is a mystery never to be solved, but its one to be rejoiced as they save us from having to watch Nine Inch Nails. Having watched them at the Camden Barflytwo weeks prior, the Brighton boys change very little about their performance. Eamonn does not dress up as a big bear, but he does bang a big bass drum at the bottom of the stage like his own personal mantra or messge to a higher plain. More power to him! Suprisingly many of our American cousins are BSP fans, cheering each time a UK release is played. 'Open Season' standout 'It ended on an oily stage' was never more apt then on the oilrig-esque surroundings they currently play on. 'Carrion' is met with fierce response and entices the aforementioned Eamonn to climb the scaffolding and bang the very metal thats keeping him in the sky with a drumstick. BSP brings a little bit of Brighton glamour to the Coachella Valley and its better for it.
For those still reading, well done. The Final two acts we'll review as one as quintissentially they are all part of the same troupe. Well tonight they are anyway. The Faint come top of the showmanship class. Their visuals (two massive screens behind them, projecting videos which are more works of art than promotional tool) act as a sleight of hand mechanism to distract you from the real magic happening onstage. Its easy to brand The Faint as just another dance act, but that would be so unfair. Their high placing on the bill reminds us that they have the standing of a band that has universal appeal across the genres.Electric guitars juxtaposed against the wall of electronic sound and Orwellian visuals and lyrics, The Faint can be quite an intimidating act to follow. Its just as well Bright Eyes (Conor) is fully aware of this, so employs them as his backing band. Both bands partake in an electronic opera in two acts. The first act consists of a description of a seedy, futuristic world where Sex is God and our only hope to repair this land is through the medium of DANCE. The second act consists of the central protagonist in this godforbidden world; our anti-hero Conor Oberst! Its a shame that tonight he has decided to concentrate on 'Digital Urn' territory, because it's not nearly as powerful as some of the folkier numbers. As people realise that they are not going to see the Bright Eyes set they came for, they look towards the journey home and the immediate area surrounding the stage becomes eerily empty. In fact halfway through Conor's set, and even before Black Star can take to the Coachella stage, everyone decides to go home.
The desert returns to a desert as the descent to the parking areas begins and the line of cars impatiently beep each other down a narrow desert road back to civilisation. It feels embarassing to look at the artists on stage as they realise that most of the audience has disappeared, but hey, they got to watch Weezer yesterday, what else could they want? The future seems bright anyway for the British bands on show at this festival, but it makes Gigwise wonder. If they were all over in America, who on earth was playing back in the UK? Ah The Others... and hopefully for the sake of our American friends, thats where they will stay.
